Hey there! I just changed my blogskin :) It's a little user-unfriendly because you can't navigate my past posts by headings or hashtags. So i'm gonna update the codings, stay tuned! (The font's kinda hard to read too..other than these 3 peeves, i'm quite satisfied) Follow me on the links below! :) 29/4/2015.
Started this blog during the last few weeks of SEM1(AY2014/15) cos' i regained interest in blogging. I blog about anything - news, social issues, music - but mostly about my university life :) Hope my posts will help you to make better life (and module) choices! Currently a Sociology Major. Still fresh. xD
Having my gender studies finals tmr, this is the 3rd paper out of the 4 papers i have. And i'm feeling so restless already. :( Today i'm gonna talk about gender issues in Singapore. Blogging my thoughts here gives me motivation to revise HAHA. I credit my lecturer, Prof Eric Thompson, for most of the info stated here. This may be useful if you're interested in taking SC2220, Gender Studies.
SOCIAL CHANGES So, tell me. What are your aspirations? I think most University Students would want to graduate, get a good-paying job, carve out a good career, and then get married, have kids, and continue working.. Do you expect yourself to get married? Staying single in the past would probably draw some condescending looks, like "she isn't well-liked or, she doesn't have a nice personality hence she can't get a husband." But, there are increasingly many singles (women especially) who do not want to get married. They want to focus of their career and the freedom to travel, work, do things alone. You got a problem with that? No? Well the society does. Our TFR is hitting an all-time low, and we're relying a lot on foreigners to sustain our economy..and marriages. Marriage seems more like an option than expectation now. Before reading the next section, you will want to get these terminologies right first.
-archy (rule/govern)
-lineal (in the line of)
-local (residence,
location)
Patriarchy: society in which power is disproportionately
held by men
Matrilineal: society in which property, names, status,
etc. is inherited through women
Patrilocal: society in which married couples live with
the man’s side of the family
Egalitarian:
society in which M & W are more or less equally empowered
Bilateral:
inheritance through both
Neolocal:
Living in a new place
The Flight from Marriage. What is the “Flight from Marriage”?
oAcross Asia
(e.g. Japan, Singapore, Thailand, etc.), marriage has gone from being an
expectation to an option.
oMore and more people, especially women, are
opting not to marry.
oCultures of female hypergamy (women ‘marrying up’) lead to skewed marriage
markets and demographics.
Interestingly, according to Gavin Jones, large numbers of the most educated women and least educated men are
unable (or unwilling) to get married; lack of “appropriate” marriage partners. If they would marry each other, it would probably solve the marriage problem. That is, according to statistics. Okay, now hold your thoughts. Is Singapore a patriarchal society? Or egalitarian society? What factors do you consider when making your decision? I think the majority would think that we are more egalitarian, and you may even think that Singapore is slightly matriarchal. Or perhaps relatively egalitarian for educated women in Singapore, but not so for domestic maids/ foreign women (those who come from poorer Asian countries).
When
people (& government) say that Singapore is a “patriarchal society”, what
do they mean?
Asian
and “Confucian” Values
Patrilocal
Residence & Patrilineal
Inheritance
Men:
Fathers and Husbands as “head-of-household” and primary provider; Eldest son as
lineage head.
Women:
Wives, Mothers and Obedient Daughters-in-Law; focused on domestic work.
Do
Singaporeans in fact
follow these patterns?
Many
laws in Singapore appear to create equal opportunity
for women (in education,employment); while others
treat them as a “protected” class (e.g. the Women’s Charter, domestic abuse). For
example, in Singapore and elsewhere domestic abuse of men by women is not taken seriously and men are not protected. On
balance, does the law empower women more than men? Is Singapore “matriarchal”
in that sense? Is
Filial Piety in Singapore matrilineally-skewed?
Under
the Maintenance of Parents Act (1995), parents are legally entitled to claim maintenance
from their children.
The
Women’s Charter (1961) legally obligates husbands to
(financially) maintain their wives during marriage and after divorce.
Therefore,
a husband is legally obligated to maintain his wife and she is obligated to
maintain her parents; but no such reciprocal obligation exists (in which a
woman is legally obligated toward her parents-in-law).
CONCLUSION
•Generalized
“male-biased” policies; but more powerful “human resource” policies that
provide a lot of support for women (provided that they are Singaporean citizens… and
especially if ‘highly educated’).
•Confucian
ideology of patrilocal, patrilineal
‘classic’ patriarchy; BUT… no longer (never was!) an agricultural
society. (Disconnect between culture and economy.)
•Substantial
emergence of “transnational patriarchy” (foreign brides, not to mention maids!)
•Female
citizens are ‘freed’ (to a substantial degree; not fully) from patriarchy;
imported “third world” women take their place to maintain “patriarchal
privileges”.
Having my gender studies finals tmr, this is the 3rd paper out of the 4 papers i have. And i'm feeling so restless already. :( Today i'm gonna talk about gender issues in Singapore. Blogging my thoughts here gives me motivation to revise HAHA. I credit my lecturer, Prof Eric Thompson, for most of the info stated here. This may be useful if you're interested in taking SC2220, Gender Studies.
SOCIAL CHANGES So, tell me. What are your aspirations? I think most University Students would want to graduate, get a good-paying job, carve out a good career, and then get married, have kids, and continue working.. Do you expect yourself to get married? Staying single in the past would probably draw some condescending looks, like "she isn't well-liked or, she doesn't have a nice personality hence she can't get a husband." But, there are increasingly many singles (women especially) who do not want to get married. They want to focus of their career and the freedom to travel, work, do things alone. You got a problem with that? No? Well the society does. Our TFR is hitting an all-time low, and we're relying a lot on foreigners to sustain our economy..and marriages. Marriage seems more like an option than expectation now. Before reading the next section, you will want to get these terminologies right first.
-archy (rule/govern)
-lineal (in the line of)
-local (residence,
location)
Patriarchy: society in which power is disproportionately
held by men
Matrilineal: society in which property, names, status,
etc. is inherited through women
Patrilocal: society in which married couples live with
the man’s side of the family
Egalitarian:
society in which M & W are more or less equally empowered
Bilateral:
inheritance through both
Neolocal:
Living in a new place
The Flight from Marriage. What is the “Flight from Marriage”?
oAcross Asia
(e.g. Japan, Singapore, Thailand, etc.), marriage has gone from being an
expectation to an option.
oMore and more people, especially women, are
opting not to marry.
oCultures of female hypergamy (women ‘marrying up’) lead to skewed marriage
markets and demographics.
Interestingly, according to Gavin Jones, large numbers of the most educated women and least educated men are
unable (or unwilling) to get married; lack of “appropriate” marriage partners. If they would marry each other, it would probably solve the marriage problem. That is, according to statistics. Okay, now hold your thoughts. Is Singapore a patriarchal society? Or egalitarian society? What factors do you consider when making your decision? I think the majority would think that we are more egalitarian, and you may even think that Singapore is slightly matriarchal. Or perhaps relatively egalitarian for educated women in Singapore, but not so for domestic maids/ foreign women (those who come from poorer Asian countries).
When
people (& government) say that Singapore is a “patriarchal society”, what
do they mean?
Asian
and “Confucian” Values
Patrilocal
Residence & Patrilineal
Inheritance
Men:
Fathers and Husbands as “head-of-household” and primary provider; Eldest son as
lineage head.
Women:
Wives, Mothers and Obedient Daughters-in-Law; focused on domestic work.
Do
Singaporeans in fact
follow these patterns?
Many
laws in Singapore appear to create equal opportunity
for women (in education,employment); while others
treat them as a “protected” class (e.g. the Women’s Charter, domestic abuse). For
example, in Singapore and elsewhere domestic abuse of men by women is not taken seriously and men are not protected. On
balance, does the law empower women more than men? Is Singapore “matriarchal”
in that sense? Is
Filial Piety in Singapore matrilineally-skewed?
Under
the Maintenance of Parents Act (1995), parents are legally entitled to claim maintenance
from their children.
The
Women’s Charter (1961) legally obligates husbands to
(financially) maintain their wives during marriage and after divorce.
Therefore,
a husband is legally obligated to maintain his wife and she is obligated to
maintain her parents; but no such reciprocal obligation exists (in which a
woman is legally obligated toward her parents-in-law).
CONCLUSION
•Generalized
“male-biased” policies; but more powerful “human resource” policies that
provide a lot of support for women (provided that they are Singaporean citizens… and
especially if ‘highly educated’).
•Confucian
ideology of patrilocal, patrilineal
‘classic’ patriarchy; BUT… no longer (never was!) an agricultural
society. (Disconnect between culture and economy.)
•Substantial
emergence of “transnational patriarchy” (foreign brides, not to mention maids!)
•Female
citizens are ‘freed’ (to a substantial degree; not fully) from patriarchy;
imported “third world” women take their place to maintain “patriarchal
privileges”.
“To put away aimlessness and weakness, and to begin to think with purpose, is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who only recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment; who make all conditions serve them, and who think strongly, attempt fearlessly, and accomplish masterfully.”
- James Allen Quotes
Sometimes I wonder how people see me and what they think of me. It scares me a bit, honestly. I am sure though, that what they think of me,
what they think my life is, is a complete misperception. I have always tried to show myself as a carefree person, as someone who wont get bothered
because of public judgements. I am sure my friend and family think there is nothing going wrong in my life, that I do not worry enough, that
I am always happy. And I am sure they probably somewhat hate me for it because, lets admit it, there is nothing worse than seeing someone
who is life seems so perfect while yours is a complete mess. Truth is, I have become an expert at pretending. I think we are all experts
or at least we are getting there.
my projects
links exchanged opened! just tag me but link me first
: Amelia Lim, 20 October.